ARKs POV
Continued
Max was already moving.
His stride was unhurried, like he had all the time in the world, but each step toward me made the air thinner. He didn't look at me at first, only adjusted his jacket, slid his hand through his hair as though he were preparing for something. When his eyes finally met mine, they were nothing like Jade's.
Jade's eyes burned- heavier, sharp, dangerous, like a predator crouching low in the glass, waiting for the right angle. Max's were alive. Like he was happy that he caught me alone
"Hey." His voice rolled out smooth, deceptively calm. "You're Ark, right?"
I froze. My name sounded wrong in his mouth, too casual, too knowing.
My grip tightened on my books. "...Yes." The word was small, muffled by my scarf.
He closed the last steps between us, close enough that I caught the faint tang of cologne on his jacket, something darker underneath. He leaned against the wall near me, posture relaxed- but his presence filled the space, pushing into mine.
"You're always with Jade," he said, voice low, curious. "But never talking to anyone else."
I shifted, heat prickling the back of my neck. "I- I like being alone."
He chuckled, tilting his head. "That's a lie people tell when they're scared."
My stomach dropped. He wasn't wrong- but hearing it aloud from him made my skin crawl.
Max leaned a little closer, his shoulder brushing mine deliberately. I flinched, pressing tighter against the wall, but he didn't move away. His voice softened, sliding into something almost tender.
"You don't need to hide behind that scarf, you know. You've got pretty eyes. I bet the rest of you is…" His gaze dropped, slow and deliberate, trailing over the scarf that covered my face. "…even better."
Blood roared in my ears. My heart pounded painfully, throat closing.
"Don't-" My voice cracked. "Don't say that."
"Why not?" He smiled, a warm smile that Jade never gave me. "I'm not like Jade. I won't push you around. I'd actually take care of you."
His words twisted something sharp in my chest. The way he said Jade's name- like a challenge, like he knew exactly what Jade had been doing to me- made my skin burn with both fear and shame.
Max's hand shifted, fingers brushing my sleeve. Not hard. Just soft, light- too soft. The kind of touch that pretended gentleness but trapped all the same.
I stiffened instantly, breath catching. "Stop- "
He ignored me. His hand slid further, fingertips grazing my wrist where my skin pulsed frantic beneath the scarf's edge.
"You're shaking," he murmured. "Don't be scared. I told you, I'm not like him."
But his touch felt worse. My body screamed at me to pull back, yet I was frozen, pressed against the wall, the cold brick biting into my spine.
"Please…" The word scraped out, thin and desperate.
He leaned closer, breath brushing against the scarf near my cheek. "Please what? You don't even know what you want, do you?"
I wanted to scream. To shove him. But my limbs betrayed me, locked in trembling fear.
And then-
A shadow cut across us.
"Get your hands off her."
Jade's voice.
It wasn't lazy this time. It was sharp, dark, low- threaded with a fury I hadn't heard before.
Max didn't flinch. His hand lingered at my wrist a second too long before he finally pulled back, turning with a smirk curling his lips.
"Well, well. Speak of the devil."
Jade stood a few feet away, shoulders tense, eyes locked not on me but on Max. His bag hung forgotten at his side. For the first time, the smirk was gone. His jaw was tight, eyes blazing with something feral.
"You think you can touch what's mine?"
The words slammed into me like a physical blow. My knees wobbled.
Max laughed lightly, rolling his shoulders as if Jade's rage were amusing. "Yours? Since when? Do you like her or something. Last I checked, she wasn't a thing to be owned. "
The world seemed to still. The air thickened, heavy with something dangerous.
Jade's fist clenched at his side. His steps were slow, deliberate, closing the space between them.
"Don't play with me, Max." His voice dropped to a near-growl. "Touch her again and I'll break your hand."
Max tilted his head, unbothered, though his eyes glittered with challenge. "Possessive much? She looked uncomfortable the whole time, you know. Maybe you're not as welcome as you think."
That flicker of shame in my chest- Max's words echoing truth- only made the moment sharper. Jade's gaze finally flicked toward me, catching the way I clutched my books like a shield, trembling, scarf twisted where Max's hand had brushed.
Something in his eyes darkened further.
In the next heartbeat, Jade shoved Max hard against the fence. The impact rattled the metal, sharp in the quiet air.
"Stay. Away." Each word was bitten off, teeth bared, the kind of promise that wasn't empty.
Max's smirk faltered- just slightly- but he held Jade's gaze, breathing hard. "Careful, broh. People might start thinking you actually care."
Jade's fist twisted in Max's jacket, knuckles white, fury carved into every line of his face. For a terrifying second I thought he might actually punch him.
But then Jade shoved him away instead, hard enough that Max stumbled back a step.
"Don't test me."
Max straightened, brushing off his jacket. His smirk slid back into place, though thinner now. His eyes flicked toward me- slow, assessing, something unreadable in their depth- before landing back on Jade.
"Stay away from her." he said simply. And then he turned, sauntering off toward the lot as if nothing had happened.
My chest heaved. My fingers ached from clutching my books too tightly. Every nerve buzzed with leftover fear.
And then Jade turned to me.
The fury in his expression hadn't cooled. If anything, it sharpened, honed into something terrifyingly focused. His eyes pinned me where I stood, burning with possession.
He stepped close, so close the heat of him pressed against me, my back still pinned to the wall. His hand lifted, catching the edge of my scarf with a slow, deliberate tug.
I froze. My heart stopped.
"You..." His voice was rough, fire and warning in every syllable. "...don't look at anyone else. Ever."
My breath came in shallow bursts. My scarf slipped a fraction under his touch, air hitting the edge of my lips.
"If you keep running from me,"Jade whispered, eyes locked on mine, "I'll make sure you regret it."
The world stopped. My blood iced. My lips parted soundlessly beneath the fabric.
He meant it. For the first time, Jade wasn't teasing, wasn't smirking. It wasn't a game anymore.
It was a threat.
And I couldn't breathe.